Chasing Pavement
by gleemylove
Summary: Once you're divorced, you stay that way right? Once it's over, it's over. And you sure as hell don't show up on your exes' doorstep at one in the morning asking for help, right?
1. Going Home

**A/N: I had this idea while I was taking the shower. I was just kind of musing like…hmmm…it seems like an interesting idea. So, this story is a future fic. It starts when Rachel, Puck, Finn etc are 23 or 24, but there will be background so, don't worry. As usual, I own nada because if I did, "Duets" would have never happened. **

**Chapter One- Going Home**

Once you're divorced, you stay that way right? You don't meet up with your ex for coffee, or dinner. You don't willingly go to the same church or stores at the same time. Once it's over, it's over. And you sure as hell don't show up on your exes' doorstep at one in the morning once you're divorced, it's over. There are no more random meetings or anything. So why was Rachel showing up at his door for no reason. On top of that, why was she crying and shaking?

"What the fuck do you want Berry?" He didn't mean to sound so harsh, but they'd been over for eighteen months. Sure, in the first few weeks he would call her to make sure she was okay. She would check in randomly to make sure he had food, but after he got the papers all that shit stopped.

"Noah…" Her voice was so quiet and shaky that he almost felt bad for being short with her, _almost_. "Can I come in please? I need help."

"Berry, its one in the god damn morning, why the fuck can't you goes to your new boyfriend. Surely he would be able to help you." Puck scoffed, because her _new_ boyfriend was actually an _old_ boyfriend from high school. He had to hold onto his anger because if he didn't he would be in love with her all over again, and then all hope would be lost. As long as he was angry at her, he could pretend he didn't miss her voice or her eyes or her singing or her smell or just her in general.

"I left him Noah. Please?" Rachel looked down, and Puck had never seen her look so broken, not even when she told him that she thought they should take some time apart because the fighting was becoming too much for her.

"Sure Rachel, whatever you need." Puck decided to be a little bit gentler with her as he ushered her into the house. When he felt how cold she was, he started to worry, "Rach, you okay? You're freezing."

"I'm fine Noah, really." Rachel said timidly, standing awkwardly in the hallway of the house that was once theirs. She felt like she didn't belong, like they had nothing in common anymore.

"So, why are you here?"

"I needed to get away while he was sleeping."

"What do you mean; you needed to get away while he was sleeping? While _who_ was sleeping Rach? Are you okay?" Puck stood in front of her, pulling her gently to his chest, truly worried about the woman he used to (still) love (loves).

She shook her head, afraid that he would send her back on her way if she told him about her problems; after all, they were divorced for a reason, right? "It doesn't matter."

"Bullshit, it doesn't matter Rachel. We haven't spoken in almost two years. If it didn't matter, you wouldn't be here. Now how about you go up to the guest room and get changed. I think I saw some of your clothes still in there. When you come back down, I'll have a cup of tea waiting for you and we can sit and talk about whatever is bothering you, okay?" Puck suggested gently, leading Rachel towards the staircase.

…*****…*****

Upstairs, Rachel had time to think about what lead her to Noah Puckerman's door at such a late hour. She hadn't meant to show up there, it's just where her feet carried her, where she knew she would be safe. She and Finn had been fighting a lot lately. He accused her of still loving Noah; she accused him of being a controlling asshole. Both of course, were true. She would _always_ love Noah, no matter how much time passed, and Finn was always controlling of her, even in high school. So, why she was shocked that he started once they were again a couple baffled her. Tonight, it had been bad. There was screaming and pushing and shoving; which was normal for them when they fought. What was worse, what she couldn't handle and made her run as soon as she could were three coldhearted words. _I own you._

Looking around the guest room, she noticed he hadn't changed anything. She didn't know what to expect but it wasn't the walls the same warm yellow, the bedspread the same light cream color. She was thinking he would have turned it into an office or a workout room or something. It stayed the same; it was the only thing in her life that had stayed the same it seemed.

Once she was dressed, she walked back down the stairs to the sound of Puck singing "Sweet Caroline". At one time, that song put a smile on her face warmed her heart. Now it made her feel like she was home, like she was safe. She stood, watching him as he made tea and coffee for them.

"You still sing?" She asked quietly and could tell she had startled him.

"Yeah, you?"

"No, he doesn't like it. Says it reminds him too much of high school." Rachel frowned because singing was her _world_ for such a long time, and one day, it just wasn't.

"I'm sorry Rach. So, wanna tell me why the hell you're here now?" He asked gently, handing her a cup of tea.

"It's a long story Noah." She sighed, knowing it wouldn't matter; he would want to hear it anyways.

"You better start now then." He said, leading her to the bedroom on the main floor.

"We've been fighting a lot," Rachel began quietly, sitting on the bed, "more than we should. Normally it's about little things, but last night was the final straw. I yelled at him, he yelled at me. He said he _owned_ me. Like I was a possession, something that you could buy at the store," she scoffed, disgusted by Finn, "Honestly, I don't know why I thought he would be any different than when we were in high school.

"I just knew I had to leave. If I didn't leave, I'd be stuck there forever. Stuck with him forever. Once he was asleep, I left. I didn't even pack a bag; I just walked out the door. After walking for a few miles I got scared. What if he woke up and noticed I was gone? What if he started searching for me? So I ran. I ran as far as I could, and then I hopped on a train to the city. I didn't mean to end up here. I just remembered thinking about how the first place he looked would be my dads, and then he would go to hotels after that. The last place he would think to look would be here, with you. By the time he got here, I'd be gone. So long gone, he could never find me again." Rachel finished, looking down. She neglected the parts where Finn accused her of still loving Puck, the nights where Finn would get drunk and hit her, the times when he would lock her out of their condo in the rain or snow. She knew that if Puck knew that, Finn would be dead.

"Rachel, why didn't you call me sooner?" Puck asked without even thinking.

"We're divorced Noah, for a reason. You're not supposed to ask your ex for help."

"So, why did you ask me? You could have stayed with someone else."

"I knew I'd be safe here. Even when you've hated me, you've kept me safe." She sounded so defeated, and when she looked at him, her eyes pleaded with him to not question it.

"Rachel, what else happened? You've always been able to handle him before, his scathing remarks, the cuts to your ego. What changed? What did he do to you?" Puck asked softly, afraid of making her even more upset. He wanted to, no _needed,_ to help her. The look in her eyes, that completely broken and defeated look told him what her words wouldn't. Finn had hurt her more than mentally. "Has he ever laid a hand on you Rach? Has he ever physically attacked you?"

Rachel stood up off the bed, sipping her tea and looking around. "You know, I always wanted to make this a workout room. We never did. We didn't do a lot of things we said we would."

Her change of topic told him everything that he needed to know. "Babe, come here." He was shocked at how fast the term of endearment reappeared when talking about her. Rachel slowly walked back over to the bed and sat down, staring at him. "Has he ever hit you?"

"Once or twice, but it was my fault. I talked about Glee. I know how mad it makes him."

"There's _never_ an excuse for that Rachel. Just because it makes him mad doesn't give him the right to take it out on you, okay?" Rachel nodded, and yawned a little. She hadn't slept in nearly 48 hours and she was tired.

"Can I go to bed now Noah? I'm sure we can talk more later."

"Of course Rach. Wanna sleep here or upstairs?" Puck asked, standing up and taking the mug from Rachel's hand.

"Can I sleep upstairs?" She really wanted to feel closer to him. She had missed him so much. They had best friends for so long, and for it to just change in the blink of an eye kind of messed with her head. She had nothing stable anymore. He was the one stable, normal thing in her life.

"Of course babe, come on." He led her up the stairs back to the guest room. "If you need anything, you know where I am, okay?"

She nodded her head, "Yeah. Thank you so much Noah. I promise I'll make it up to you." Rachel hugged him tightly, not wanting to let him go. When she heard him hum "Sweet Caroline" softly, she felt tears come to her eyes. She was home, where she belonged, and she had no idea why she left in the first place.

**A/N: This is so far from over its not even funny. The story title is by Adele, and the chapter title is from the Laguna Beach soundtrack. What do you all think? Let me know. Xoxo**


	2. Somewhere Only We Know

**A/N: So sorry for the long wait, I hope your all sticking with me!**

**These past couple of weeks, I've been at band camp as an aide, and can I tell you, there's this little boy with a Mohawk, wheres the muscle tee's and shorts with skater shoes and walks around like he owns the place. He is adorable and every time I see him, I can only think of the mini-Puck from Glee! Makes me laugh every time!**

**Thank you all so much for the alerts and faves on this story :) It blew me away. You guys are AMAZING. As usual I own nothing.**

**Chasing Pavement**

**Chapter Two- Somewhere Only We Know**

Finn woke up at 3:30 in the morning, to Rachel's side of the bed cold. He knew she was there when he had laid down, only because he had possessively wrapped Rachel in his arms. Besides there wasn't a night where Rachel went to sleep after him, he made sure of it. So, when he woke up and realized she wasn't there, he knew what had happened. She had left. She had left him. Now, Finn wasn't stupid. He knew he could be controlling of her, but it was only because Rachel meant so much to him.

He also knew that Rachel was still in love with someone else. That someone else being her ex-husband. He was sure that Rachel ran right into Puck's waiting arms after the fight they had last night. So sure, in hindsight calling her a stupid annoying freak was a bad idea...he mused as he was throwing on clothes, hellbent on going out to find her. Thinking about where she would go, he realized that Puck was almost too obvious. Besides her dads, that's the first place he would think to look, and Rachel knew that. So where did she go? He pulled out a phone book and started calling hotels, motels, truck stops, really any place where she might go. He was going to find her, even if it took him all day.

…***...***

"Damn it!" Finn yelled to no one in particular, throwing his phone and the phonebook across the apartement. He'd been looking for awhile, at least three hours. And no one had seen or heard of a Rachel Berry, Rachel Puckerman or Rachel Berry-Puckerman. He was at his wits end and needed her back in their apartment where he could keep her safe from people like Puck.

He grabbed his keys and tore out of the apartment and down the stairs. He noticed Rachel's car still sitting in the garage, so he figured she didn't get very far (please read in super fast speed) butobviouslyshedidbecauseshe'satPuck'snowyoudumbfuck. Finn didn't even know where to start now, he had called every single place in the phone book, checked the last time a train left. Since they weren't married-yet, yeah he knows, that's really bold of him, but he'll get her to agree-he couldn't check to see if she had taken money out of an ATM or bought a plane ticket. She had no clothes, therefore she didn't plan to stay away for long. She has her own money, she'll just buy more. The little voice in the back of his head was nagging at him, telling him he was stupid for not figuring out a way to make sure she never left.

Finn drove for what seemed like hours, stopping at gas stations, random people on the street, showing them pictures of her, asking if the had seen her. Most took him as a worried boyfriend, looking for his girlfriend. And sure he was, they just didn't know he was a controlling bastard. Finn slammed the car door shut, trying to figure out his next move. Puck's, I have to try Puck's. Finn knew Rachel would never go there, but he had to try, he couldn't rule it out just yet.

…***...***

"Rach. Rachel. Come on babe, let's get up now," Puck gently shook her shoulder, it was close to noon and Puck was getting a little worried.

Feeling the gentle shakes and hearing a calming voice, Rachel groaned as she rolled over. "Five more minutes!"

"Uh, babe, it's almost noon, you never sleep this late. I'm beginning to worry." Puck stood back and took in Rachel. He had noticed the bags under her eyes the night before, and knew instantly she hadn't been sleeping properly but he never thought it was this bad. "I have breakfast waiting for you..."

"Mmm, and that would be?" Rachel sat up, trying to adjust to the light shinning into the room.

"Only your favorite. Figured it would be a nice surprise." Puck shrugged, turning around to go back down stairs. "Come down when your ready."

Rachel scooted out of bed and walked a familiar path to the upstairs bathroom. So little had changed since she had been gone that it felt like she never left in the first place. Even the little feminine touches in the bathroom had stayed, she realized,smiling to herself. It was almost like Noah was trying to convince himself that if all of her little feminine things stayed, she wasn't really gone. That thought alone made Rachel smile like the Cheshire cat. Looking at herself in the mirror, she realized just how much more well rested she looked. Staying in that awful apartment with Finn had done little for her sleep patterns, and most nights she was too petrified to sleep for even four hours.

Walking out of the bathroom, she took the time to admire the fact that all the paintings on the walls were still the same. He literally didn't change anything. That thought made her happy. It made her feel safe. Rachel slowly walked down the stairs, humming to herself.

Halfway down the stairs, her phone beeped, letting her know she had a text message. She dreaded having to look at it, but she knew she had too; taking a deep breath she looked at the phone. Seeing Finn's name made her set into a panic attack, if he knew where she was, then maybe she wasn't protected, maybe he would take her back and give her hell. Once she was safely on the floor, she opened the message.

**_Where the fuck are you? If you are anywhere near Puckerman, I swear..._

Rachel felt all the breath leave her lungs as she re-read the message, she tried to hold in the sob threatening to escape, but she had no control over her body. She heard in the background a cup clang against the counter, and heavy footsteps coming towards her.

"Shit, Rachel, what's wrong?" Noah's panic voice came through the haze, "Baby, please, what's going on?" Puck had been leaning against the counter, sipping on a fresh cup of coffee when he heard Rachel coming down the stairs. Not soon after did her hear her fall to the ground, he dropped everything and ran to her. "Baby? Please say something?" Puck reached for her, scooping her up in his arms, and as if it was all those years ago, she curled himself further into him.

She felt safe where she was, she felt loved, she felt like she could take anything on. So why was she still in mid-attack? Rachel clutched onto him like he was the only thing keeping her afloat. "No-ah," she chocked out, she knew she needed to tell him, for him to make it all go away. "He-he-he..."

"Shh, your safe. I'll protect you," I'll love you, Puck added in his head, he hated seeing her like this, so hurt. Puck looked for what could have caused all this; spotting her cell phone, he picked it up and read the text that she had. He felt anger rise in him, felt the need to punch something, but the sobbing girl in his arms kept him grounded. "Baby, shh, he won't find you." Puck stood up with her still in his arms, and brought her into the living room.

"How do-do you know that! How can you say that!" Rachel pulled away only enough to look Puck in the eye. "Tell me Noah! How do you know?"

"I won't let him," Puck whispered, still holding her tightly.

Rachel felt a fresh wave of tears come to her eyes, "You say that now..."

"No Rachel, he won't hurt you anymore. I won't let it happen." Puck so badly wanted to tell her that he still loved her and would always would, but it was too soon. This shit with Finn was too much as it was.

"I trust you," Rachel whispered, swallowing her feelings down. Puck nodded slowly, pulling her a little closer.

After what seemed like hours of silence, Puck had thought up an idea. "Let's get out of here." Puck squeezed her waist, leaving a lingering kiss on the top of her head.

Rachel looked up at Puck, confusion swimming in her eyes. "Go where?" Sure she trusted him, but she didn't know how far the trust went yet.

"You'll see, come on babe."

A/N: Okay, quick update. Are we still loving this story? Let me know!


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